2 New NYC Hotel Rooftops To Enjoy This Summer

When we did our seasonal round-up of NYC hotel rooftops to check out for 2012 (see Where To Hotel Rooftop When), the newest venue on our list was Conrad New York's Hudson River-facing cocktail bar Loopy Doopy. And shucks, we still haven't made a point of going up there to try some of those boozy popsicles!

In the meantime, two new rooftop spaces have opened up that we thought y'all might want to know about. One is a quiet, laid-back type of place, perfect for chilling after work with friends and enjoying views that span pretty much all of Brooklyn.

The other, well, likes to get a little louder, a little wilder, and a little more in-yer-face. But then again, it's located in the middle of Times Square, so what else can you expect?

The Wythe opened The Ides at the end of May, but has made a point of staying under the radar, in hopes that the place doesn't become too overrun. And, being in Brooklyn, we're sure it will be written off quickly by folks who simply don't like to wander outside of safe, comfortable Manhattan. But boy, are they missing out!

The sixth-floor terrace is not necessarily the roof of the building, but it hardly matters. The deck wraps around the entire building, making for virtually 360º views that span the Manhattan skyline, the East River, Queens, and multiples neighborhoods in north Brooklyn. You could spend an entire afternoon here and still not be done admiring all of gorgeous New York, laid out before you like an un-scrolled map.

With the bar set against the window, you can order your drink and gaze at the Empire State Building at the same time. Across from the bar is a wooden counter that holds turntables for whenever the DJ shows up. Hours are 7pm-1am, so show up on the later end if you want more of a party scene, and closer to 7 if you just want to sit back with a beer on the wide terrace (thankfully, there are plenty of tables and chairs) and watch the sun set.

And speaking of party...those of you staying in Manhattan might be curious to check out Haven, the clubby rooftop lounge on top of The Sanctuary Hotel. Even though The Sanctuary actually opened last year, it's taken this long for the rooftop component to fully come together—though, we can't blame them for slacking on the job.

The most notable feature (aside from winged girls dancing on tables, which we can't confirm will be a nightly occurrence) is the reclaimed cedar furniture, all of which was built and installed by owner Hank Fried's son, Brandon. We love us some custom-designed furniture, and when it's the hotel owners themselves who are the ones busy in the work shed, we like-y even more.

As we hinted before, Haven is an entirely different scene from chilled-out Williamsburg, but an experience not altogether worth skipping. Being surrounded by skyscrapers in the middle of Times Square, believe it or not, is some people's cup of tea. The tricky part, though is actually getting up there.

Guests can choose from private cabanas, a 14-foot communal table, and various wooden seats and tables scattered around the astro-turfed rooftop. But reservations are required, and doormen will be doing their best to keep un-Haven-worthy crowds away from the private elevator—especially on busy nights like last night, when we attended Haven's grand opening.

We'd recommend coming up here for pre-dinner drinks while it's still light out, in order to fully appreciate the design of the place.

Predictably, the scene will tend to get more boisterous later as the evening goes on, and then all of a sudden it's 2am, your ears are ringing with DJ-spun house music, and you're standing in the middle of Times Square trying to hail a cab while also scouting for the nearest falafel cart to satisfy that drunk hunger that's only been exacerbated by the fresh-juice cocktails you've been sipping in fast succession for the past three hours. My, how the time flies!